Connie O’Neil: Omaha Matriarch Supports Families for 35 years By J1 Reporter Nora Corrigan
Connie O’Neil has been taking care of children for over 35 years. She first welcomed others into her home in 1986, courageously leaving her nine-to-five in hopes of raising her son in conjunction with other family members or neighborhood kids. But what started out as a way to spend more quality time with her son, seamlessly turned into much more than O’Neil could have ever envisioned. Leaving the accounting office at Brandeis for the last time on that fateful day in 1986, O’Neil walked into the lives of others; ultimately impacting her life and the lives’ of families throughout Omaha for years to follow. Long before her days as a childcare provider, or even an accountant at Brandeis, O’Neil was simply an Omaha native. A part of a strong Catholic family, she attended Blessed Sacrament for grade school (now the site of Nelson Mandela Elementary School) and then received her high school diploma from Notre Dame Academy (merged with Rummel High School to form the current Roncalli Catholic). O’Neil then pursued her associates degree of interior design from the University of Nebraska Omaha. But, as these things typically go, she didn’t
exactly find a career that matched her major.
decision to become a working mother. “I loved my job and I had parents that were here, good family members. And let me tell you, she (Nan) doesn’t have issues.” And she’s right by the way, Nan is the embodiment of a “girlboss.” A mother of three and an accountant and supportive wife of her husband’s very successful business. She resides in Phoenix, Ariz. with her family and fur babies.
O’Neil recalls her early days in the workforce, “I worked part-time at Emmanuel Hospital because I kind of liked the idea of the medical field. Well, then I got in there and they wanted me in the registry office. I thought, well, you know what, I’m going to give this a try.” Soon enough, O’Neil found herself at Brandeis in accounting after the birth of her first child.
“They’re there. They give you hugs. They want to be told that they’re doing great. They want to be admired. They are human beings. And I think, I hope, I made a difference in their lives. I mean they’re my kids, you know?”
So O’Neil worked and raised a child and some years passed before she happily found herself pregnant with her second child. “I had trouble getting pregnant so this was big for us. And I thought, well, you know, let’s try staying home with him.”
With the arrival of Nan (O’Neil’s daughter and Marian graduate of 1989), O’Neil had to make some quick decisions; leave the workforce and take care of her child, or remain at Brandeis and risk Nan “having issues,” as her mother would taunt her. Ultimately, O’Neil made the executive
At that point, O’Neil had 10
worked in the corporate world for many years and she had her own doubts about leaving. “I said to Bill, ‘Oh man, am I going to be sorry I didn’t stay.’” However, Bill, O’Neil’s husband, was more than supportive of their leaving to take care of her son, Kyle, and eventually establishing an in-home daycare business. When O’Neil first decided she would take on more children besides her own, it was only because she “wanted Kyle to have other children to play with,” specifically children that she knew. “My cousin’s daughter was the same age as Kyle and she asked if I would be interested in watching Sarah. I thought that would be a good start for a playmate.” And so, the doors, or rather O’Neil’s single-car garage door, opened to welcome the first of many families that would come through for morning drop-offs or afternoon pickups in the next 35 years. O’Neil had never intended to operate a daycare from her home or even make a profit off of it. “I think I just grew into this. It started out as a volunteer thing at first and then I guess I wanted to make it a full time thing.” Through
